Katarmal Sun Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Pantnagar Airport is the primary airport serving the whole Kumaon region.

• By train

  Kathgodam is the nearest railway station to Almora, the district town 12 km from the temple.

• By road

  Almora, 12 km away, has a bus station with Uttarakhand Transport Corporation buses to cities including Delhi, Dehradun, Lucknow and Chandigarh. Bus or taxi service runs to Kosi, 1.5 km from the temple.

Why devotees come here

Katarmal Sun Temple stands in Katarmal village, Almora district, Uttarakhand, at about 2,116 metres above sea level. It lies near Almora, the district centre, and is known as a relatively rare Surya temple, with 44 smaller temples around its main shrine.

Katarmal Sun Temple is a Surya temple in the remote village of Katarmal, in the Kumaon Division, about 1.5 km from Kosi village. The main deity is Surya, also called Burhadita or Vraddhaditya. Katarmalla, a Katyuri king, built the temple in the 9th century. The Katyuri dynasty ruled Kumaon in the early medieval period.

Masons of the time used a mixture of lime and lentil paste as the adhesive in the stonework. The temple is a monument of national importance, declared under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act of 1958. The image of Surya in the temple is dated to the 12th century.

The carved wooden doors and panels were moved to the National Museum in Delhi after a murti from the 10th century was stolen. Today the temple is at about 2,116 metres above sea level, and it is known as a relatively rare Surya temple.

Tips for your visit

• Accommodation is available in Almora, the district town.
• Restaurant facilities can also be found at Kosi, 1.5 km from the temple.

Questions people ask